Water shortages hit Condet green area

JAKARTA (JP): For the first time in nearly 30 years, Jakarta's green conservation area in Condet, East Jakarta, is experiencing a water crisis.

An official said yesterday that the crisis has been affecting most of the area's subdistricts since August.

"Since 1970, when the Betawi people (native Jakartans) moved here from Kuningan, South Jakarta, because of land appropriation, Condet has never experienced a water crisis.

"But due to the prolonged dry season, the ground water supply is dropping sharply and forcing residents to endure a water shortage," East Jakarta Mayor Sudarsono told The Jakarta Post.

Sudarsono said his office had sent warning notices to all subdistrict heads to conserve water and alert the subdistrict office if their areas were badly in need of water.

"But until now there has been no official report on this matter," he said. "Officials must not be ashamed to admit that some of their areas are experiencing a water crisis."

Sudarsono said that city-owned drinking water company PDAM Jaya is ready to supply water to drought-hit areas.

In Condet, the 18.83-hectare area consists of three subdistricts -- Batuampar, Balekambang and Kampung Tengah -- and is known as the center for Betawi culture and a fruit conservation area based on Gubernatorial Decree No.D.IV- 115/e/3/1974.

Located near Kali Ciliwung, one of the longest rivers in Jakarta, the area produces the local fruits salak and duku.

But, over the past five years, some of the green areas have been converted into housing complexes which no longer pay heed to the greening program.

"People never used to have problems finding clean water here," Zakaria Idrus, the head of Batuampar subdistrict, said.

"Usually we only needed to dig artesian wells to six meters to find water. But because of the long dry season, many residents have to dig deeper wells," Zakaria said.

Law enforcement

When asked whether the water crisis was due to a lack of control on officials -- who made way for the conversion of the land in Condet into housing complexes -- Zakaria admitted that his office has some troubles enforcing the rules.

"Many Betawi people sold their land. We can't control that. They sold it mainly to small developers, who later converted the land into several houses. The new residents who buy the houses never learn to obey certain rules in order to live in Condet," he said.

Among the rules set for houses in Condet are: requirements for each house to plant trees, support the greening program and install a waste water shaft -- which ensures runoff is absorbed into the ground -- in their yard to help avoid water shortages.

"For instance, if a person bought a 1,000-square-meter plot of land, only 10 to 20 percent of it can be used for the building of a house. The rest is a green area," he said.

But these days, many newcomers in Condet do not obey such rules.

"They built luxurious houses without a sufficient garden. That's why all of the subdistrict in Condet started the regreening campaign by giving each house a tree to plant," he said.

But the regreening program had not been completely successful because of the prolonged dry season.

"So, we still have to wait for the rainy season to continue this program," he added.

Based on the Post's observation, in Batuampar, Kampung Tengah and Balekambang -- which have been in drought since August -- there are reportedly 100 dry artesian wells.

"The symptoms of dry wells are evident in the water's yellow color, and sometimes brown shade, and there is mud mixed in it," Husein, a water pump operator, said.

"But if the wells are left dry too long, the water will drop lower into the ground," he said. "With a little dig out, usually the clean water will come to the surface again," he said.

Husein said he and his workers had already repaired about 80 wells in Condet during the current dry season.

A 55-year-old man, who has lived in Condet for 22 years, said: "The case is more or less the same. I think if rain comes, it will solve the water crisis.

"Land in Condet easily absorbs water so if the area is kept as green as usual, there would not be any problem," he said. (07)